The War On Terror In The Middle East
This has become one of the two most divisive issues facing our Nation today. When you are in a mess like the one we are in it is good to look at the lessons of history. Let’s first discuss how one of the greatest leaders of the 20th Century (if not the greatest) handled the issue of war – Sir Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of England during World War II.
When Mr. Churchill became the Prime Minister, his first task was to form a cabinet. He appointed leaders from his own party (the Conservative Party), leaders from the Liberal Party and leaders from the Labor Party. All the major parties were represented. To quote Mr. Churchill – “The more knowledge he pursues of the opposite point of view, the less difficult it is to know what to do.”
Next he made sure that his island nation could not be conquered by invasion, defenses established, food and materials assured (imports) and a process for paying for a war confirmed. THEN, and only then were the plans finalized on when and where to attack the enemy. And those plans encompassed fully understanding the culture of the enemy and the culture of the people it had already defeated, looking at all the possible battlefields, equipment needed (if they did not have it, build it first), men needed. The plans also included how the battle was to be paid for and what was the best use of the Nation’s total resources. All of this was managed by a team of leaders representing all the people and the best military minds available. When the decision was made on which battle front would be launched first and the sequence of subsequent fronts, the task of fighting was turned over to the military leaders. The politicians did NOT try to run the war.
You judge if any of these steps were taken by our government.
In those days identifying the enemy and his location were easy tasks. The enemy was a nation and their army easily identified. That is not the case today. We know that Radical Islam is the enemy. This enemy is not confined to a specific nation, but is spread out over many countries. In fact, some reside in the U.S.
The Problem
All know what we did and didn’t do. The point is we are where we are. Six years into the war we still do not have secured borders, the initial battle front (Afghanistan) was never secured before going to the next front. The current battle front (Iraq) was launched without having the best equipment for our fighting men and women that we can produce. The culture of the people in Iraq was not studied and understood. The promises made to these people have not been kept (in Afghanistan or Iraq). Rather than developing a plan to pay for the war, we continued spending as if no war existed ($27,000,000,000 in 2006 alone for pet projects).
What We Must Do
First, give our fighting troops ALL that they need to win the war. With the economic genius that exists in our Nation this is doable, PROVIDED the government bureaucracies get out of the way. Second, stop all spending that is not absolutely needed. (This includes the billions that have been wasted through the systemic corruption that has been allowed to thrive.) Third, keep our promises to the Iraq and Afghanistan people AND our own people. This all goes back to the core issues, Integrity, Ethics and Accountability in our government. Any problem can be solved if these basic principles are the foundation from which we work.